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Aesthetics
Overview Aesthetics refers to the visual quality of an object and its appreciation for beauty. This term is commonly used in art and nature. 'Definition and History' Originally, aesthetics was a term used in philosophy to describe a general theory of beauty. It later came to be used with art, architecture, and music around the eighteenth century. In this sense, aesthetics became more of an experience in which the viewer appreciates the beauty of the piece. Aesthetics are not necessarily governed by any rules but are simply judged by one's own perception. It is the perfect combination of simple and complex that gives viewers pleasure. In the context of WAM, aesthetics relate to many of our visual projects and concepts. An object's first impression is usually its appearance, so it is important to consider its aesthetics. If it is not visually appealing, it may not grab people's attention or not make them want to keep looking at it. Critical Conversations The idea of beauty and aesthetics has always been a distorted view. As seen in advertisements and art from as early as the fifteenth century, the distorted view of beauty displays the over-sexualization of women as aesthetically appealing. This has sparked many critical conversations among scholars and feminists alike. Over time, the standard of beauty and aesthetics has been distorted, altering the minds of consumers who feel that they have to live up to this aesthetic. The over-sexualization of women in advertisements and art and the implications it has on the female mind has been extensively researched and is still a prevalent topic in critical conversations today. This idea of over-sexualization and beauty has also sparked topics of race relations and female inferiority. As a prevalent topic today, feminists and scholars have continued the topic of female aesthetics and beauty and constantly challenge mainstream media to change beauty ideals in the mind of the consumer. -In The Sticky Embrace of Beauty, ''Anne Francis Wysocki argues that the way that beauty aesthetics are taught now are distorted and do not allow one to truly see beauty and appreciate aesthetics. She examines the meaning of "beauty" and "aesthetics" in the eighteenth century and advertisements, using definitions and explanations of the term from various scholars from then and now. -In John Berger's ''Ways of Seeing, ''he also discusses the new distorted view of beauty. His series examines the depiction of the female body in painting hundreds of years ago and present-day advertising. This series challenges the key aspects in visual culture and the impacts it has on society. -Journal article ''Numeric Expressions of Aesthetics and Beauty ''written by B.S. Atiyeh and S.N. Hayek offer concrete research on the idea of aesthetics and beauty in mainstream media has affected female body shape and proportions since the beginning of time. They explore how numbers play a role in the beauty ideal and how symmetry and geometry are key players in aesthetic surgery. This article largely discussing the effect that aesthetic surgery has one women, beauty, and aesthetics. '''Examples' -Wysocki uses this advertisement to describe the study of aesthetics. She builds her argument off this advertisement, examining how lighting and shapes make these advertisement more appealing, and on the flip side, over-sexualized. She describes key concepts in this advertisement--proximity, alignment, contrast, and repetition--and the impact they have on beauty and aesthetics. -Blogs use aesthetic principles to gain appeal and keep the reader's attention. Choices such as the type of fonts, organization of text, and inclusion of pictures all serve to create a webpage that easily presents information while making it attractive. The Help Scout blog uses tiles to organize information and a variety of colors to add interest to the page. Icons are the focus point rather than text because they are more visually-appealing. The color of the text is different between the tiles to add more contrast to the page. Finally, the text is simple and easy to read based on choice of font type and size. -Billboard designers are greatly concerned with aesthetics. They are intended to quickly grab the attention of viewers and broadcast a message in a few seconds. Most viewers are in cars, leaving a few seconds for passengers to read these signs and even fewer for the driver. Aesthetics play a part in color choice to make the billboard stand out against the sky or surrounding buildings. Text is limited with more emphasis placed on pictures that are easier to remember. In the billboard advertistement, the text is large and easy to read, but it is not necessarily the first thing that draws attention. While there is 3D play at work, the picture of the man in the car seat grabs enough attention that the message can be deciphered without the text. Keywords -Beauty -Visual Culture -Advertisements -"Ways of Seeing" -"The Sticky Embrace of Beauty" Citations Atiyeh, B.S. & Hayek, S.N.(2007). Numeric Expressions of Aesthetics and Beauty. Springer Science+Business Media. Hartley Slater, Barry. "Aesthetics." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Wysocki, A. (2004). The Sticky Embrace of Beauty. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition, 1'', 149-175. ''Ways of Seeing picture. (1972). U.K.: Penguin. Category:Keyword